Phil Hawes Survives Late Onslaught From Nassourdine Imavov – UFC Vegas 19 Results

Next up on the UFC Vegas 19 main card is a middleweight encounter between Phil Hawes and Nassourdine Imavov.

Round 1: Hawes lands a leg kick. He follows it with a couple more as he backs Imavov against the cage. Hawes feints a takedown before throwing a number of huge strikes but Imavov seems to be fine as he partially blocked them. Hawes lands another leg kick that nearly drops Imavov. Hawes clinches Imavov up against the fence. Hawes lands some knees but there’s not a lot of action here as the referee provides a warning. Hawes starts to land some punches before taking Imavov down with just over a minute to go. Imavov gets up but is taken right down as Hawes is in side control. Hawes transitions to half guard and lands some shots as the round ends.

Round 2: After some early exchanges, Hawes goes back to clinching Imavov up against the fence as he no doubt is looking to take him down again. Hawes partially takes him down but Imavov gets back to his feet as he remains controlled against the cage. Hawes lands some strikes and knees before Imavov separates. Imavov wobbles Hawes with a left hook. He starts to pour on the pressure but Hawes times a takedown perfectly. Imavov gets to his feet but Hawes has his back. Imavov looks to attempt a kimura but Hawes transitions to half guard and looks to start some ground and pound. Hawes isn’t landing heavy shots but is landing while Imavov is active from the bottom with some elbows. The round ends.

Round 3: Hawes connects with a leg kick. He quickly goes for a explosive takedown but Imavov gets to his feet. Hawes has his back but eventually clinches him up against the fence. Imavov separates and looks to get his striking going. Hawes starts to pressure and back up Imavov though. Imavov blocks a spinning back kick. Imavov slips as he looks to strike and finds himself clinched up against the fence again. Imavov separates and connects again as he wobbles Hawes! Imavov clinches him now but Hawes now takes him to the other side of the Octagon and looks for a takedown with over a minute remaining. Imavov lands a couple of elbows and connects with a big knee. Hawes clinches Imavov against the fence as the fight ends.

Official result: Phil Hawes defeats Nassourdine Imavov via majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28).